Saturday, September 6, 2008

Buckle Up!

“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place” (Ephesians 6:14).

You may have seen highway signs reminding you to fasten your seat belt. “Buckle up! It’s the law!” one may say. Another may give you a clear choice: “Click it or ticket!”

Buckled seat belts save lives. How often have you been aware that a driver or passenger survived a horrific wreck because he or she was wearing a seat belt? On the other hand, how often you have learned about traffic deaths that might have been averted if driver and or passengers had been wearing seat belts? It takes only a moment to buckle up before starting your car’s engine, but it may be the most valuable moment of an auto trip.

The apostle Paul advised the Christians at Ephesus to buckle up. He didn’t have car safety in mind, of course; he was concerned about the Ephesians’ spiritual safety. He explained their enemy, the devil, wanted to destroy their relationship with Christ and make their Christian witness ineffective.

The devil’s attacks are vicious today too, and they are often subtle. Like the Ephesian Christians, we must know our enemy and avail ourselves of the resources God has made available. Truth is one of those valuable resources. Adhering to the truth, God’s Word, helps protect us from the devil’s lies, whether they assault our minds through false religion, antichristian philosophy, or unbiblical psychology. Buckling up with “the belt of truth” can keep us from becoming casualties along life’s highway.